How to save a life
by Candylovin Fehrian
Summary: A farming accident leaves one Duke alone. What will he do? Will help arrive in time? Will this change lives? Or only the perspective we see things in?
1. Danger, danger!

**_A/N ... What can I say? Hmm, lemme think... What could sum up my absence from ff? What can I tell ya about my writersblock? How ashamed I am that it's been soo long? Or about how busy I've been up until the summer-vacation. Let me summarize it in one sentence...  
__I'm Bahaaaack!! _**_  
**I'm not promising lots of updates, but I'm slowly getting things back together, which means updates on Bulletproof Dukes will be coming, but first... A story I'm working on to get back into the swing! It's angsty (Hellloooo, it's me we're talking about...), and probably a little dark, but most of all, it's Dukes!**_

_**So all I say is: Enjoy! (Ow, and please review if you liked, or didn't like...)** _

An unnerving scream tore through the hot summer-air, causing the few crows that had dared to come near to fly up, making themselves scarce.

The empty cornfield they had been eating from, was scorching in the sun, while an abandoned tractor stood silently, seemingly conveying the scene in front of him.

There were no other sounds after that last scream, except for the raspy breathing coming from somewhere behind the tractor. A breathing which was currently hitching, as the man tried to pull his leg free from the clutches of the large tractor.

After minutes of pulling with his uninjured arm, the young and shirtless man let himself fall down, as the sun beamed down on him with unrelentless heat.

"Damnit…" he breathed, knowing he was all alone now, and nobody was coming to look for him soon.

His uncle would be expecting him for dinner in a couple of hours. But he wouldn't worry if he was late, he would probably figure he was trying to finish his job before dark. So that left him with at least seven hours to kill…

He shivered at his own choice of words. Kill… Lying here in the hot midday-sun, with his leg trapped underneath the family's old tractor and a torn up arm which was bleeding a lot, he wasn't sure if he would make it that long.

Shaking his head, he forced those thoughts out of his head. There were other options… His cousins…

He knew Daisy was working at the Boars Nest, so she was out of the question, but his other cousin… He was supposed to be here with him, but thanks to the broken old fence, well with a little bit of General Lee thrown into the mix, he was in town to pick up new wood and nails to fix what they had broken this morning.

He almost grinned at that. The General was known for bustin' some fences around Hazzard. But why today? If they hadn't wrecked that fence, his cousin would have been working with him right now, he would have had somebody to help him.

Instead, he was alone. Even the crows had left, leaving behind silence, as well as a small, yet warm wind, blowing over his heated body, but not cooling him.

He felt the small droplets of sweat fall from his head. They fell just as steadily as the drops of blood that fell from his arm.

He silently cursed himself for his own stupidity. If he had just let the tractor stay in the shed, where it should have been. He knew it actually needed to be fixed, but in his haste to get his work done, he had ignored the fact and used the old barrel anyway.  
So when the tractor had started to splutter, he had put it in neutral, jumped off and tried to take a look underneath it.

A rumble in the distance had made him jump up and hit his head on the thing, causing the domino-effect to take place. The tractor had started to move, but he was too dazed to notice. So while he was rubbing his head, the large vehicle had taken him by surprise as it toppled him, the huge wheel going over his leg once, miraculously missing his other leg, only stopping when the second wheel was almost over him. In his fight to get away, his arm had gotten caught by one of the sharp hooks of the antique tractor, tearing open the sensitive skin of his bare upper arm.

So here he was, lying underneath the rusty old vehicle, bleeding from god knows where, with nobody around. He knew he was screwed…

"Ninety-nine bottles a beer on the wall…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Duke farm_

"Maudine, if ya keep movin around like that, I ain't gonna be able ta help ya," Jesse Duke mumbled to his old mule. The stubborn old thing had gotten a piece of barbwire around her leg, which Jesse was currently trying to get off.

After a few minutes of prying, he triumphantly held up the piece of wire, patting Maudine on the back while she wandered back to her food tray. Just as the older man got up to get started with dinner, a familiar roar entered his ears, as well as his lawn.

"Uncle Jesse!" the boy called, climbing out of the car with ease, "I forgot the hammer, have ya seen it lyin' around somewhere?"

"Well, if it ain't in the toolbox, check the barn, I've seen your cousin runnin' round with it yesterday," the old man answered.

A minute later, the young man came running from the barn, carrying the hammer in his hand.

"Gotta go, I'll be back before dinner," he shouted as he climbed into the car again.

"Pick up yur cousin on yur way back, I ain't sure that tractor's gonna hold out till he's back at the farm."

He got a wave in return, as well as the notes of Dixie and he smiled. Things were going well. The farm was doing good, the boys weren't in jail, or being chased by the law and Daisy had been seeing Enos for a while now. And even though Jesse was sure it was purely friendship, he was still happy for the two young ones, cause they seemed to have found a level of comfort together, they didn't have for a long time.

So with a light step and a whistle, Jesse Duke started the preparations for dinner. It felt like it was time for his famous crawdad soup…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hot…

He felt unbearably hot.

Somehow, the sun had turned in such a great position that it was now straight above him, its rays hitting him with such force, he had tried to crawl underneath the rusty tractor.

It didn't work though, since his leg was numb and even the rest of his body had refused to cooperate. Pain was no longer an issue. His arm was now numb, and only the warmth of his body was letting itself know.

Images were starting to form in front of his eyes. Things appearing before him that weren't really there.

At first he had dared to hope, as the orange form of a car seemed to come towards him. He had yelled until his voice became hoarse and his throat tightened.

The blurry shape didn't come nearer though, it only seemed to get farther away, and finally he had realized that it wasn't real. He had just seen his first mirage…

Well, if he had to be honest with himself, it was more like a hallucination, but in the scorching sun, with his hair plastered to his face and his skin slick with sweat, he felt like mirage was a more appropriate word.

A groan escaped his mouth as he moved a bit to see another shape coming towards him. The blue dot got bigger, and bigger, as well as the red cap that seemed to top the image.

"Uncle… J- Jesse?"

A few feet away from him, his 'uncle' stopped. A scowl on his normally kind face. His mouth started to move, but the sounds came a second later. It made the image even more surrealistic to the man lying in agony underneath the tractor.

"What have ya gotten yurself into now, boy?"

The boy on the ground shook his head, how could his uncle say something like that?

"It was an a- accident…" he whispered.

"Accident, my ass!" the voice of his uncle thundered, "Ya acted without thinkin', an' now ya expect me ta come and save ya… Well, guess what, I ain't gonna. Ya can lay there an' rot, ya hear me?"

Tears of pain and hurt formed themselves in the boy's eyes. His uncle was right, he got himself into this mess… But why wouldn't he help him?

"N- no… Uncle Jesse, p- please…"

"Please? An' I ain't yur uncle Jesse. Just cause yur parents didn't love ya enough ta stay, don't mean I gotta take care of every mess ya create… I didn't even want ya in the first place. I only took ya in cause Martha wanted a cause to care for…"

Denial fought for sadness in the boy's eyes as he tried to turn away from the hurtful words as well as the man delivering them.

When silence followed those words, the boy carefully turned to the spot where his uncle had previously stood, only to see nothing… Empty farmland as far as he could see, with a single crow hopping away from him as he flew up to sit on the scare-crow overlooking the fields.

Tired eyes followed the crow with fascination. If only he could be free to move right now, if only he could fly away from here… Those thoughts overwhelmed him, causing him to pull his leg, just once more.

"Pull it off…"

Whipping his head around, the worn man couldn't see where the scratchy voice had come from. It sounded like…

Looking up at the scarecrow, two beady eyes bore into his. The crow seamed to blink as his beak started to open and close.

"Pull it off!"

"W- what?" The man blurted out.

"Rip it! Tear it off!" the crow belted in a high pitched voice.

"Gimme some blood…" it whispered violently.

Turning his head around, disgusted by the scene in front of him, the man tightly closed his eyes, trying to ignore the bullying voice, still harassing him from above. It's just a hallucination, he told himself. Just a hallucination…

"Just do it!"

"It don't matter if you bleed out,"

"They won't even miss you…"

"Pull it!"

The annoyingly high pitched voice got higher and higher, eventually nothing more than a scratchy sound remained. But the words could still be heard.

"It don't matter anymore…"

"Do it!"

And finally the Duke boy couldn't take it anymore, turned his head and with a throat raw from exhaustion yelled at the being,

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Tears mixed with sweat as his pleas got softer, "Please… Shut up…"

And just like that, the crow squeaked once more and flew away, leaving a Duke boy lying there with tears streaming on his face, while blood streamed down his arm, still pleading softly with an animal that wasn't even there anymore.

Minutes passed before silence returned to the land, only pain filled gasps filling the emptiness of the unbearably hot afternoon. Only if you listened hard enough, the flapping of wings could be heard, far, far away…


	2. Dinner's ready

_**A/N I told ya I was gonna update soon! Woohoo, I amaze myself sometimes... lol Just kidding, I'm gonna go on vacation tomorrow, so I won't be able to update this week. Therefor, I worked real hard to update tonight. So I hope you'll like this chapter. I'm off to Prague, so see ya next week!  
Ow, and in this chapter, we'll find out who's hurt. I told ya I wasn't gonna keep it from y'all long... And there is one little reference to Eye of the storm. You won't have to read it again, there's just a reference to a memory that's gonna get a little real... Enjoy!**_

2

"Ouch! Darnit!" The Duke boy cursed as the hammer hit his thumb for the second time that day. Looking around from under his eyelids he was glad his uncle wasn't anywhere near. Cause if he had been, he would have gotten a reprimand the size of Texas for cursing like that, so the boy was glad the only one who heard him was a crow sitting on the fence a few yards away from him.

Picking up the hammer once more, and in the meantime protecting his damaged thumb, the boy swung it again, this time hitting the fencepost instead of one of his fingers.

"That's better," he mumbled. Sweat rolled down his tanned back itching when it made its way into his tight jeans.

After three more swings of the large hammer and some tightening of the barbwire, the job was finally done. A sigh escaped the Duke-boy as he threw his tools into the General Lee, hopping in behind them.

His cousin and him would have to be more careful when cruising the farmlands, cause this was the fourth fence this week, and somehow destroying them was more fun than fixing them. And since he had fixed three fences out of the four, he was so gonna give his cousin hell for it!

A smile made its way onto his face as he thought of the things he could make the other Duke do. The roar of the engine only widened his smile as he started to make his way back to the farm. He could tell Daisy his cousin would help her with the dishes… Or do their laundry? Hmm, nope, bad idea. The last time one of them did the laundry their drawers got so stiff they could stand up straight. Heck, you could throw them and crack a window…

He giggled to himself as he pictured that mental image. In the meantime he had gotten near the farm as a thought sprung to mind.

His cousin! He was supposed to pick him up from where he was working the land. Thinking for a minute, the boy resumed his way home. Maybe he had already gotten back. And if not, he could always pick him up then.

Little did Bo Duke know, time was running out…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Funny…

Even though the sun was still shining brightly, he was cold. The dried sweat and blood covering him had lost their warmth and cooled him so much he was shivering.

His teeth were clattering between chapped lips, and he was trying to stop them when he suddenly heard a familiar voice. A voice he had thought he'd never hear again.

"Sarge?"

Looking frantically around him Luke Duke couldn't seem to find the source of that voice.

"Sarge? I'm cold…" the soft voice seemed to whisper, agony filling the soft tones.

Moving his head hurt, but still the boy turned it frantically, searching for his fallen comrade.

"Henry?" he whispered back, afraid the Vietcong would hear them.

"Where are ya?"

"I don't know sarge… It's dark here… And cold… Please help me?" the disembodied voice pleaded.

Luke felt the shivers subside as worry for his marine-buddy filled his entire being. Where was he?

A wracked cough resounded in his ears, it sounded like somebody choking… But from where?

"Henry? Answer me, please… Don't die…" Luke pleaded, not caring about some distant memory where he had seen the soulless body of his once good friend being thrown in front of him.

The coughs got louder, as well as the strange sound of sand shifting.

Lifting his head proved to be too difficult for the fallen Duke, but twisting his head towards the movements on his right, his eyes widened at what he saw before him.

The dirt he had been working on hours ago was moving… No, not moving, something was under it. And it was… "No…" It was crawling its way out of it…

A pair of deep-blue transfixed eyes, glazed over by overheating and fever, kept watching as all of a sudden a hand shot out of the overturned earth, dirt and blood covering it.

The rational part of Luke's mind reminded him of a horror-movie he had once seen with his two cousins, where vampires made their way out of the cold ground in the exact same way.

But the part of his mind that was causing his delusions, told him another story. A story where Luke and Henry had been captives by the Vietcong. Where they had sat in tiny cages, just the two of them. Being tortured by officers carrying bamboo sticks, not knowing if they would see one another again when they were taken away for questioning.

The image of a snake biting his ankle, and Henry talking him through it, hit him hard. The one after was so familiar he knew it from his every nightmare and memory of the camps.

The face of the filthy man carrying back his comrade's motionless body. Dropping him unceremoniously at Luke's blistered feet. Spitting on the body as he turned around to see American soldiers invading the camp.

Alone with the body of his friend, Luke had wept. But after the tears subsided, he had acted. Burying the body, so Henry would at least have some of his dignity back.

The image faded as the hand in frond of him curled inwards and thrusting up, revealing an arm, a shoulder, and finally…

"Oh Lord…" came the broken whisper from the broken man underneath the broken vehicle.

"Sarge? Where are ya, I… can't see anything" the assaulted body spoke.

When the sand had slid off of his army buddy, Luke had seen the devastation immediately. Henry's sandy-brown hair had fallen out in chunks, while maggots feasted on his face. One of his eyes hung out of the socket, only connected with what seemed like a very thin blood vessel. The other one wasn't even there. There was just… A hole. Filled with worms.

Luke couldn't look away. He had done this… He had buried his friend back then. And now he had to carry the consequences.

His senses were on overload, the smell of rotting flesh seemed as real as it had been years ago in the aftermath of a napalm attack. The colours of the sand and flesh hanging on Henry seemed to flash before his eyes. And the shrill voice of him cut through his ears, causing him to cringe away as Henry staggered towards him.

"Help me sarge… Help me…" he moaned, looking more like a zombie than the man Luke had buried seven years ago.

"I… I can't… I'm sorry, so sorry," Luke mumbled through chapped lips. His good arm reached for Henry, or what was left of him, to try to help, or do anything, but Henry stood stock still.

His disfigured head went up, as if he was hearing something only he could hear.

"Don't ya hear em Luke?"

Luke looked at the body standing before him, trying to listen, but hearing nothing.

"I can already hear em, they's callin' ta me. Flappin' their wings," gasp, " those beady eyes are beggin' me ta come to em,"

Luke shook his head, somehow he didn't want Henry to go to those creatures.

"Don't listen Henry, don't…"

"They want me ta take you too… They's sayin' you should be with em too. They want us cause we's murderers…"

The head turned to Luke and somehow Luke noticed it's expression was sad and forlorn.

"I don't wanna be a murderer sarge…"

"Yur not," Luke spoke through numb lips. His tongue felt too big for his mouth and he knew his words were garbled.

"We did what we had to Henry… We did what we had to, an we only need to answer to the Lord. Them crows," Luke breathed a shaky breath, "They's bad. Don't listen to em…"

"They's to persistent Luke, they ain't askin… I don't wanna buddy, but I gotta go to em," Henry murmured as he followed his ears and left Luke alone in his wake.

"Don't Henry… Don't leave me…" Luke begged, tears filling with moisture he didn't know he had left.

He kept watching the retreating form as it suddenly disappeared from his sight. Luke blinked, two tears creeping underneath his eyelids, but Henry Gale was gone… Lost forever. And somehow Luke's guilt, guilt he had felt for years, guilt he had learned to live with, returned full force.

And ever so softly, swollen, parched lips began to pray.

"Dear Lord… Please help me…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_The Dukefarm_

Screeching of tires followed by a yell from his youngest nephew alarmed Jesse Duke of his nephews homecoming.

Looking over his shoulder to the door, he expected Bo and Luke to come through the door. When he only saw Bo, he looked over his shoulder to see if Luke was behind him.

"Where's yur cousin?" he asked, a little annoyed that Bo had obviously forgotten to pick the other one up.

Bo looked down, he knew he should have driven to their east property before coming here.

"I'm sorry uncle Jesse, but I was half way here when I thought of Luke, an' I figured maybe he was back already."

"Well, he ain't," Jesse said, his voice curt, "So go an' get him, 'fore this crawdad soup get's cold," he added, his eyes twinkling a little when he saw Bo's eyes light up, and drool almost starting to form beneath his chin.

Bo didn't need to be reminded twice and raced out the door, yelling, "I'm a comin' Luke, I'm a comin!"

Jesse smiled, shaking his head at the antics of his youngest. Looking at his watch, he decided the soup would taste even better after half an hour… He only hoped Bo wouldn't crash the both of them in his rush to get home to eat…

Sitting down, Jesse decided he could wait half an hour.


	3. Help is on the way

_**A/N I'm home! And Prague was wonderful! Beautiful buildings, musea (the sexmuseum! lol), yummy Mojito's and great clubs. So now, I've got me some inspiration!! The wonderful movie "The Notebook" helped too, if I have to be honest. What a wonderful and intense movie. I can recommend it to everyone who loves angst, romance and the southern way of life.  
Okay, on to the story. I have to warn y'all before hand, this chapter is intense. At least, that's what I discovered after my fingers stopped typing. I'm gonna try and update next week, cause my birthday is coming up this week, and I'll be a little busy with everything around it (including work...)  
So without further blabbing, let's go to the chapter! Enjoy! (And please, no tomatoes...)**_

3

An engine roar, followed by a blur of orange was the first thing Luke became aware of, while he was still whispering prayers through numb lips.

He stopped shortly, trying to turn his stiff neck towards the sound, recognizing it immediately. And when the roar died down, and an even more familiar voice made itself known, Luke let a few tears leek from beneath his eyelids from pure joy.

Even tough his mind was fevered, and he had lost all feeling in his body-parts, his shivers had long subsided in a silent agreement with an oncoming death. But the sound reaching his ears, ears that had heard the echoes of Henry Gale's wallowing for hours now, that sound was what he was waiting for the entire afternoon…

"Bo…" The tormented whisper escaped parted lips, and seemed only a breath as it wandered into the evening-air around him. Not reaching the blondes ears.

"Luke!" he heard Bo call as the engine of their stockcar went silent.

Again, he tried to call out to his youngest cousin, but his voice wouldn't cooperate, while his lips only parted slightly.

His uninjured arm started to make uncontrolled movements, as he tried to move it to let Bo know he was here.

"Luke, where are ya dangit! You hidin' from me or somethin?"

In his entire life, Luke Duke had never felt this helpless. With his voice abandoning him, and his limbs ignoring him, he had no way of informing his cousin that he was lying here.

All of a sudden a mop of blond hair appeared in his line of vision, shock visible in the baby-blue eyes.

"Luke!" he cried, his movement completely stilled for a few seconds, but springing into action the next moment, "What happened?"

Luke felt hands touching him, as a wave of relief flowed through his battered body. And still…

Instead of the cooling effect he had hoped Bo's hands would have on him, they felt like sandpaper, and Luke instinctively tried to shy away from them, his leg letting itself know as pain flared up again, paralyzing all his movements.

"Luke?" Bo's questioning eyes looked at him, as he pulled away his hands from his cousin's body. His eyes wandered down, and finally saw the way the wheel was placed upon one mangled looking leg.

"Oh lord…" was all Luke heard Bo say, as if he was very far away. From the corner of his eye he noticed Bo moving behind the tractor, to the mowing-device standing behind it.

As if it was a movie, Luke followed every movement his cousin made, focusing on the fact that he would be freed soon.

Yet, there was still something wrong with the entire picture. Bo's voice seemed off, but Luke's troubled mind couldn't for the life of it figure out what was wrong with it.

In the meantime, Bo was pulling the device with all his might, trying to move the thing, so he could move the tractor. He was sweating by the time the machine started to show movement, and he used all his strength, pulling the thing one inch in total.

Luke watched his cousin change position, so now, instead of in front of the machine, he was now standing behind it, between the tractor and the mowing-machine.

"Don't worry cuz, I'll get ya out," Luke heard him say as he put all his strength in pushing the mowing machine.

At the same time the machine started moving, Luke's fevered eyes noticed something else. Something Bo apparently hadn't noticed, was that the sharp claws of the mower weren't fastened anymore, and were wobbling on the moving object.

Trying to call out to his cousin didn't work, as Luke opened his mouth, and with widened eyes let a gasp escape his lips.

"Bo!" the word only a whisper, caused his cousin to look up in worry, but not in time. As he turned his head to look at his wounded cousin, the sharp mowing-claws seemed to find their target, as they fell off the machine, right into the waiting chest of a shocked Dukeboy.

The shock in his little cousin's eyes was more then Luke could take, and through an unknown force he managed to call out, loudly.

"Bo!" his scratchy voice echoed through the air, as the movie in front of him kept playing its gruelling scenario.

A dozen spikes, made to mow the dusty farmland, delved themselves into the blonde' chest, still standing. But as the seconds passed by, he seemed to lose the strength in his legs and he collapsed against the tractor behind him. Strangely enough, the vehicle didn't budge. It took the weight of the Duke and stood their stock still.

Luke could do nothing but watch, helplessly pulling his leg, again and again, as his youngest cousin fought for his breaths, blue eyes still looking shocked at his eldest cousin.

"Luke…" he whispered, breath becoming more shallow with every passing second.

Luke didn't want to pay attention now. He wanted to rip his leg off and help his cousin. But his strength wasn't with him, and all he was left with, was the last look of his baby cousin, looking at him pleadingly, as if he was the only one who could help him now. But somehow, Luke knew, they were both beyond helping.

And as the final gasps left Bo's body, Luke could do nothing but watch his cousin die in front of his own eyes.

'No… It's not supposed to be this way…'

One last sound reached Luke's ears, as Bo's arm slipped from where he had held on to the spikes. It fell onto the ground, where a slight puddle of blood had formed itself now. As Luke's eyes wandered up, his breath hitched as he noticed the huge stain forming around the spikes penetrating Bo's chest.

Further upwards, Bo's slightly opened mouth caught his eye, blood drooping out of it, leaving a trail as it slowly dripped onto the dusty ground.

Finally Luke's tired eyes found Bo' baby blue eyes. They had lost their shine, as well as the life that had always housed in there. Only emptiness remained in those once bright eyes.

Denial fought for grieve in Luke's fevered mind, as he shook his head, trying to clear it from the imprinted image of his dead cousin.

Words were lost inside of him, as the only sound that escaped his burnt lips, was a long and antagonizing moan.

It was filled with grief, anger and guilt. Floating around him, filling his entire being with sadness and hopelessness.

And as the moan kept filling the air around him, only one thought kept going through his mind.

'Take me… Please… Take me…'

"So now you want to?"

The sudden sharp voice echoed through his own moaning. But he recognized it immediately.

Tear-filled eyes focused on the creature sitting next to the body of his cousin, hopping around like it didn't have a care in the world. It's beak picked at some of the blood laying on the ground around him.

"Don't…" was al Luke could manage in his weakened state.

The crow looked up at him, it's beady eyes piercing through him like knives. Blood circled it's beak now, and Luke couldn't control his urge to vomit.

As he looked up again after minutes of gagging, the crow had come near to him. As it turned it's ugly head, Luke tried to control his arm so he could grab for it, but all he got was one simple muscle spasm.

"You are too late now. Time's up. Now you are alone, and alone you'll always be… forever…" the crow belted as it picked at Luke once, before flapping its wings and flying away.

Speech had left him all now as the only thing Luke could focus on, was the small fleck of blood on his naked arm. Of all the blood covering him, that little speck was the worst. Cause it wasn't his… It was his own fault he was lying here… But his cousin's blood… It wasn't meant to be spilled. He wasn't meant to be lying here… He wasn't meant to go before him!

Lying there, underneath the lowering sun, Luke Duke knew it was over. He didn't want it to go on, and he settled himself in his fate.

He closed his eyes, sent a small prayer to the Lord, apologized to his uncle, and hoped he would be buried next to his cousin.

"Goodbye" was the final word that was whispered through an already weakening mouth.


	4. To be or not to be

_**A/N Well? Like I promised, right? An update, only a week after the other one. Wow, sometimes I amaze myself... lol. Just kidding! If it wasn't for FF it would have been up two days earlier, but what can ya do about it but yell at yur computer…grr  
I hope this one lives up to the expectations, cause it will let y'all know if what happened in the previous chapter was real, or not... Well, just read to find out! Please tell me what ya think about it, cause writing this chapter was hard.  
Anyways, enjoy!**_

4

The roar filling his ears, filling his entire being felt welcome. Through the guilt, shame and grief, he welcomed the sound as the first signs of death coming to claim him. Not some murderous crow, with a bloody beak, but never-ending light and happiness heaven would offer him. Together with his cousin…

His jumbled mind still showed him that final picture of his cousin lying next to the tractor. Blood flowing freely around him, as his eyes still held that empty look. With his eyes closed, and heaven calling him, he would never forget that picture, and he wallowed in it. That was his doing. His fault, his burden to bare…

The roar got even louder, and light started flashing on the inside of Luke's closed eyes. Fever ravaged him, but still he felt calmed, knowing he would join his blood-brother soon.

A furrowed brow finally relaxed, and without knowing it, his features softened in impending death.

"Luke…"

The voice called to him, and Luke felt like he had to reach up. Bo was calling for him, and he was certainly comin…

Those where his final clear thoughts as the fever took over completely, and left the suffering young man in a world of unconsciousness and acid hallucinations.

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As the lonesome tractor caught his eye, Bo Duke slowed the General down a little, knowing he would ruin the fields if he tore in to them too much.

He stopped the General a few yards away from the machine, but left the engine running. That delicious crawdad soup was waiting for him, and he wasn't gonna waist no time in starting the General again, when he found Luke.

The thought of his cousin made him look around. That was strange…

Everything was quiet, there was no sign of his older cousin even being here. Maybe the tractor actually had broken, and he had walked home?

Bo shook his head, if the tractor had broken down, Luke would have fixed it up, so that it at least made its way back to the farm.

Maybe he had fallen asleep? Bo smiled as he climbed out of the car. That had happened to him a few times, and Luke was always there to wake him up with a nice bucket of cold water, or anything else that laid around. Bending over into the General, getting out the jerry can of water they had there, he was already gloating over the desired effect this would have.

Bo Duke made his way over to the tractor, and almost couldn't contain his giggle as he saw one outstretched leg coming from behind the tractor.

"Luke…" he called in a sweet voice as he slowly rounded the tractor.

At first he didn't know what he saw. His cousin was indeed lying next to the tractor. But a well deserved sleep wasn't the cause of it…

"Luke!" he yelled, not able to control his quivering voice as he took in his bloodied cousin, the mangled leg underneath the tractor and the pale face with the softened features implying things Bo didn't want to think about now.

Throwing the can of water away, Bo practically flew over to his cousin, not exactly knowing what to do, but knowing he had to do something.

Feeling for a pulse was the first thing he tried to do, but with his hands shaking so much, it almost didn't work.

He blew a sigh of relief when he found a very weak, but slow pulse. The next thing he did was shake his cousin, cause he was scaring him!

"Luke?" he whispered while putting his hands on his cousins face. The heat he felt there made him take his hands of in a flash. But he put them back. He needed his cousin with him…

Rubbing Luke's inflamed cheeks he noticed the chapped lips, and immediately knew his cousin had been lying here for a long time, in the scorching sun, hurt...

Meanwhile he continued to softly call Luke's name, not receiving any reaction.

For his entire life, Bo Duke had always believed he was a decisive person who could act when it was necessary. But right now, on this moment, with his cousin lying there, stuck underneath the family-tractor, he didn't know what to do, and he froze.

The only thing he could do was continue to shake his cousin, trying to wake him, so he could tell him what to do…

After two minutes of furious shaking, Bo knew he had to come up with something himself. And like the time Luke had gotten hurt while fixing the General, Bo ran for the CB, praying he would have reception around here.

"This is Bo Duke callin' for help! Someone please help us…"

For 10 agonizing seconds there was nothing but static silence, and Bo feared he hadn't reached anyone. Until one amazing voice echoed through his CB, making him close his eyes in relief.

"This is Deputy Enos Strate, what's wrong Bo?" the ever so helpful deputy asked.

"Enos? There's been an accident on our east cornfields, we need an ambulance here right away!" Bo almost shouted into the handset.

"I'll call em Bo, an' I'm on my way, you just sit an' wait there…" Enos responded, and Bo could already hear Enos turning on the sirens of his car.

Sagging against the General, emotional exhaustion taking over him, Bo let his mind go blank for a second, before shaking himself mentally and running back to his wounded cousin.

As he rounded the tractor, he stopped dead in his tracks when two very clouded blue eyes met him.

"Luke?" he asked shakily, "you with me?"

But the fevered eyes seemed to look past him, intently glaring at the mowing machine.

"N- no," came the croaked sound from those painfully looking chapped lips.

Walking over to him, Bo saw the tearstained cheeks for the first time, they had dried up a long time ago, but the marks could still be seen.

Laying his hand on Luke's uninjured bare shoulder he gently tried to get his cousin's attention. And it worked. But not in the way he had intended.

Those blue eyes slowly turned from the mowing machine, to Bo, sitting next to him, but instead of relief, another emotion took him over completely. Fear…

Seeing his cousin shake his head furiously frightened Bo. Luke seemed to be in his world now, seeing things only he could see, and it was scaring him to death.

"No… no" he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yur dead… I-I saw it… Saw you bleed…" he croaked.

Bo could barely hear him, his words so mumbled and soft it was almost like he had imagined them.

But the look of fear and grief on Luke's face told him another story. And even though he could barely move, he tried to shy away from Bo's soft touch, wincing when he felt the fingers on his shoulder.

"Luke," he said firmly, with strength he didn't know he possessed.

"I'm here cuz. An' I ain't goin nowhere." he added, as much for himself as for his cousin.

And somehow, it seemed to calm the fevered mind of the man lying before him, causing him to close his eyes slowly, giving in to unconsciousness.

After two minutes of calming his wary cousin, Bo noticed the angry gash on Luke's arm, and deciding to do at least something, he took off his shirt and tied it around the still bleeding wound.

Looking at the leg trapped underneath the wheel of the tractor, Bo winced internally. Shredded jeans, blood and dirt covered the ugliest wounds, but it was obvious there was a lot of damage. Having seen this sort of injury before, when Billy Dawson got stuck underneath his truck, he knew he had to wait until the ambulance got here, cause if he got the blood flowing by releasing the leg, things could get even more ugly.

Looking up at the setting sun and the beautiful coloured sky, Bo Duke prayed. He didn't pray for the same thing Luke had prayed for, just moments earlier. No, he prayed for the life of his cousin, prayed that the Lord wouldn't take his blood brother away from him. Not like this, not right now. There were too many things he still wanted to tell him, too many things they had to do, too many…

At loss for words, Bo Duke just prayed. He prayed until the vague sound of sirens filled his ears.

After seven hours, help had finally arrived…


	5. Save me

_**A/N Well, not exactly a week, but still... Somehow, with all the 'end of the summer-parties', writing has gotten a little harder for me. Cause when you're tired, and have a little hangover, it's hard to think clear enough to write Duke stories! Thank god for Dukes dvd's! You don't have to think at all if yur watching those. So instead of writing, I've been getting inspiration (again), so I could write some new chapters... This one is rather short, but important to the story, and it seemed fitting to stop it where I stopped it. So... Enjoy!**_

5

Deputy Enos Strate had seen many accidents in his career as a deputy of Hazzard. With all the reckless driving going around, there were at least a few accidents a week. Sometimes it was severe, but mostly it were just fender benders.

Then there were the farming accidents. A few times a month, there was a farmer who put a nail through his hand, or had fallen off of the roof or the hayloft.

And then there were the rare times when he witnessed the more gruelling accidents, those were the accidents that mostly occurred once a year.

And this year, it was gonna be a Duke…

The deputy's mind was racing as he made his way to the Duke's property, knowing it wasn't Bo or Daisy, cause Daisy was working at the Boars Nest, and Bo had spoken to him. So that left Jesse and Luke.

Rational thinking, something Enos was able of every once in a while, caused him to come to the conclusion that it was probably Luke. And things had to be bad if Bo's shaky voice was anything to go by.

Picking up his CB, he decided he should try the Dukefarm. If Jesse was home, he needed to know.

"This is Enos Strate callin' the Dukefarm. Ya there uncle Jesse?"

Only seconds later he got a reply from an out of breath Jesse.

"I ain't yur uncle Jesse Enos," he grumbled before asking what was the matter.

"Well, err, I just got a call from Bo, somethin happened an' he needed an ambulance at yur cornfield,"

Silence followed his message, and Enos continued his speech.

"I think ya better go to Tri-county, cause that's where they's gonna be later on,"

A slight cough told him Jesse was still there.

"What happened?" was Jesse's first question, as he tried to think of what could have happened there. Bo had left only twenty minutes earlier.

"I don't know uncle Jesse. I'm headed over there, an' so is the ambulance. I think ya should go to Tri-county," Enos drawled, knowing there was nothing Jesse could do at the site of the accident.

"Uh, yeah, I'm goin right now," the older man said before shutting off the CB.

And that was the last Enos heard from the older man, who was now probably jumping in his old truck, to pick up Daisy to make their way to the local hospital.

But there was no time to think about that, cause in the distance he could already see the orange charger, as well as the Duke's tractor and mowing machine.

In the distance he could hear another siren, mixing with his. Shifting his hat, Enos almost hit the General Lee in his hurry to get near the tractor. Skidding to a stop he hastily opened his door, only to walk to the machine very slowly.

Enos Strate had never been scared of seeing victims of accidents, but somehow this time, he wanted to stay back. He wanted to stay back and not go around the tractor, where he knew Bo and Luke would be. For once in his life he wanted to stick his head in the sand and not be the deputy who always did the right thing. But even he knew, he had to go there and help, cause that was the right thing to do. And Enos Strate always did the right thing…

Going around the tractor, his eyes went wide at the sight before him.

Bo Duke was sitting on the ground, his cousins head in his lap, gently stroking the dark-brown hair, softly talking to the unconscious boy.

Looking more closely at Luke Duke, Enos had to swallow. He looked like death warmed over… His face was pale and had a waxy look over it. Looking further down Enos saw the improvised bandage around Luke's shoulder, red with blood and darker crusts of dried blood. That wasn't the worst of it though. The worst came when he looked even further down.

Luke's pants leg was ripped and shredded, the normally blue colour now a deep shade of red. Further exploration was impossible as the huge tractor-wheel was still positioned on top of the thigh and knee. Torn flesh could be seen though, and Enos had to look away.

Hearing the siren stop, Enos turned his attention to the blonde haired Duke boy who hadn't seemed to notice him until Enos began to speak.

"Bo… The ambulance is here," Enos stuttered, holding his hat in his hands.

Bo Duke looked up from where he had been sitting, his attention completely focused on keeping Luke in the land of the living.

Seeing Enos standing there and knowing help was coming soon, he let out a breath he had no idea he had been holding.

Turning to his cousin, he once more stroked the unbearably hot cheek.

"Ya hear that Luke? They's here, yur gonna be okay cuz…"

And after saying that, Bo suddenly felt tired. As if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulder, just a little.

Looking up, he noticed two paramedics hurriedly making their way towards them, and he held on just a little tighter to his older cousin, trying to protect him for what was about to come.

"Sir?" One of the paramedics addressed Bo after having checked Luke's vitals, "We're gonna have ta try and get the tractor off of him right away, can you hold him down for us? Keep him very still."

Bo only nodded, speech had left him now that he knew help had arrived. He only acted, and did what was told. Bowing over Luke, he whispered in his ear.

"This is gonna hurt cuz, but it'll be alright. Just lay still, it's gonna be alright…"

Giving the two paramedics and Enos a nod, he turned his attention to his cousin, holding him firmly as one of the paramedics tied a rubber hose around Luke's thigh to keep the blood flow in check.

Ten seconds later he heard the command being given.

"Now!"

And all of a sudden, the still figure beneath him, who hadn't moved in the past half hour, came to life in a series of convulsions, blue eyes flashing open in a dazed glaze.

"Luke!" Bo called, trying to get through to the fevered brain of his cousin, who was moaning as if his leg had been cut off.

Using all his strength to keep him still was slowly draining Bo. He hadn't known there was still so much energy left in the prone body underneath him.

But ever so slowly the convulsions became less, and just as sudden as they had become Luke's body went slack in Bo's strong grip. It happened so suddenly, that Bo immediately feared the worst, calling for one of the paramedics in a loud voice.

From then on, things happened so fast, Bo just let them come over him. The paramedic ushered him away from his cousin, checking his pulse and starting compressions when he couldn't find a pulse.

For Bo Duke, it felt like everything happened far away from him. He stumbled back against the tractor, sounds reaching him as if they were coming in slowmotion, just as the images seemed like they were being thrown to him out of a kaleidoscope.

Sagging down, he vaguely felt Enos' hand on his arm, but he didn't hear what he had to say, his attention was completely focused on the men trying to revive his cousin.

It seemed like hours when they finally had him stabilized enough to put him on a stretcher, and load him in the back of the ambulance.

A tugging at Bo's sleeve told him Enos was still there. And this time he actually heard what the deputy had to say.

"Come on, Bo, ya can ride with me."

Nodding absentmindedly, Bo Duke let himself be led to the police-car, not even caring about leaving the General Lee in the fields. The only thing that mattered was his cousin…

And so the ambulance and police-car left the site of the accident, leaving two vehicles behind as silent witnesses to the drama that had unfolded there on that beautiful afternoon in July.

The sun was setting now, as if it was turning its back on the events that had happened under its watchful eye. The orange glow spreading onto the land left a blood-red landscape behind, with one single crow sitting on the colossal tractor, its stained beak high up in the air as he opened it and let out a screeching cry.

If you listened hard enough, it was almost as if it was laughing…


	6. And pray to God he hears you

_A/N To speak with the words of one great ff-writer: "Bad, bad writer!"  
I know, it took me a while, but this was one difficult chapter. Next one will be sooner, I promise! So, I won't bother y'all with calling myself names, and let ya get on with the chapter. Enjoy!_

6

_Tri-County Hospital_

Jesse Duke and his niece Daisy were pacing. They had been here for half an hour, and still no Duke boys.

Jesse had asked the nurse countless of times, but all she could say was that the ambulance was on its way. To his question why it was taking so long, she sighed softly, compassion written on her face, and she had explained to him that the ambulance usually had to stop when a patient went into cardiac arrest.

But, she had hurried to say, that was just an option. It hadn't calmed Jesse down though, and he just continued to pace.

As he turned around, fully intent on pacing some more, the glass doors across from him suddenly opened, revealing a gurney with the convulsing body of his nephew on it.

Two paramedics, along with three doctors who had rushed towards them the minute they came through that door, were trying to keep the boy still. In the meantime, Jesse heard a bunch of medical jargon, only catching words as heatstroke, blood-loss and torn tissue.

Besides him he felt Daisy grasp his arm, as she also watched her oldest cousin trash around on the still moving gurney with wide eyes.

Only a dot of dark-brown hair could be seen as the doctors rushed the gurney through the doors leading to the ER.

Turning his attention back to the doors, he noticed his other nephew coming through, walking like a zombie as Enos gently guided him towards his family.

"Bo!" Daisy cried as she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

Jesse only watched as he saw Bo's distant look slowly be replaced with recognition while tears gathered in his clouded baby-blue eyes. With Daisy's body warming him, he went from slack and puppet-like, to gripping her tightly, hugging her back as if he was afraid she would leave him.

Putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, he got the attention of his youngest nephew. And somehow, when seeing his uncle it was like a dam braking, and Bo Duke finally let his tears fall in his uncle's embrace.

"Uncle Jesse," he choked while Jesse gently sat down on the chairs behind them, taking Bo with him.

"Shh, it's gonna be okay Bo," Jesse mumbled as he felt Daisy sit down on his other side, her hand softly and warm on his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

In his embrace, he could feel Bo shake his head. Pulling back he saw Bo's reddened eyes as he furiously wiped at his eyes.

"Ya didn't see him uncle Jesse… They say he had to have been lyin' there for hours, hurt and bleedin," Bo took a deep breath, trying to convey what the paramedics had told him in the few seconds he had spoken to them.

"They said he has a real bad case of heatstroke… An' his leg…" Bo put his face in his hands, mumbling, "It looked awful…"

Hiding his own worries, Jesse knew his nephew needed him to be strong now.

"Now Bo, ya know yur cousin, an' ya know if anyone is strong enough to get through this, it's Luke," he nodded towards the doors his eldest had disappeared through just minutes ago.

Leaning back against the wall behind him, Bo closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly as he felt his hair rub against the rough hospital wall. He had always felt like a positive person, but right now, things had never looked so glum in all his life. And being there with his cousin, seeing the extent of the injuries, imagining what he had to have been gone through, Bo Duke, for the first time in his life, had lost his hope.

"Ya didn't see it," he mumbled, temporarily giving into his exhaustion as he momentarily closed his eyes again.

And somehow, Jesse Duke, for the first time in his life, didn't know what to say… Grabbing Daisy's and Bo's hand in his, he just did what came naturally, he prayed.

Standing in the corner of the waiting-room, Enos Strate had seen the entire thing. And despite the seriousness of the situation, he silently wished he had family like that… And deep within, he knew he had. Cause when you were friends with the Dukes for as long as he had been, you became their family. And as family, he had a slight feeling, that things would work out. They just had to…  
So he stood there, silently keeping vigil over his second family, who were currently keeping a vigil of their own.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Three hours later_

Bo Duke felt like screaming. They had been here for more then three hours now, and no one could give them any news about Luke.

He rubbed his aching neck as he was sitting there, head down, not wanting to see the things happening around him.

Until, suddenly a pair of feet appeared in front of him. Looking further up, dark trousers and a white lab coat came into view, when finally Bo was eye to eye with dr. Ramirez.

Jesse and Daisy had already seen the doctor's approach and were already standing, and it didn't take long for Bo to jump to his feet too.

"How is he doc?" he asked even before Jesse could utter a single word. The older man saw the distress his youngest was in, so he decided to just await the doctor's answer.

After a long sigh dr. Ramirez knew he had to start talking, but somehow, he didn't want to. Knowing the Duke family for a long time, he had gotten to know the two boys like he knew his own kin. The boys were regulars at the hospital. Usually it was just a bruised rib, or a small cut. But sometimes it was worse.

He had been there the night both Bo and Luke were admitted after a huge storm caused them to crash the Learson's truck. He had even been there for Daisy when she and Bo got hurt when the Boars Nest was blown up.

And now he was here too. And he was almost wishing he wasn't. Cause then he wouldn't have to deliver this kind of news.

Sighing again, he started his story, looking Bo directly in the eye, while once every few seconds he would glance at Jesse and Daisy.

"Jesse, Bo, Daisy, I can't give ya real good news… Luke is stable, but the injuries he suffered…"

"Just tell us doc," the always calm Jesse urged him on.

"Well, Luke came in with multiple lacerations in his arm. We repaired the muscle damage and stitched them up, so I believe he will regain full use of his arm again. The injuries of his leg however…" pause, "I understand Luke was laying underneath that tractor for a while, right?"

Three Dukes nodded.

"Well, he has a complicated broken thighbone, as well as a lot of muscle and nerve damage. We were able to stabilize the bone and immobilize the leg.   
However, his circulation had been cut off for a long time, and I am very worried that the infection lingering there will cause gangrene or bone infection. We will have to wait and see, but if it becomes serious, we're gonna hafta consider amputating…"

He let the sentence linger for a few seconds before continuing. The worst was yet to come, and he could see in the distraught faces, they knew this…

"Because Luke had been laying in the sun for so long, he has developed a serious case of heatstroke. It explains why he had those seizures," he said, looking at Bo who nodded imperceptibly, " it also caused some of his organs to shut down, which ultimately led to his brain beginning to shut down."

Jesse Duke frowned, he did not like where this was going, and glancing to his left he noticed Bo and Daisy tensing up too, their eyes glued to the doctor in front of him.  
God, he felt old right now…

Meanwhile, dr. Ramirez continued.

"I'm sorry to say, he has slipped in a coma, and I ain't sure if he's gonna be able to come out of it. And if he comes out of it," the sombre looking doctor continued, hoping to soften the blow, but knowing it would hurt just as bad, "there's a possibility of permanent brain-damage…"

Letting the news sink in for a moment, dr. Ramirez noticed Jesse tightening his hands on Bo's shoulder, as the young blonde sucked in a shallow breath, while Daisy brought her hand to her mouth.

If it was the weight of his uncle's hand, or just the exhaustion kicking in, Bo didn't even want to know why his legs seemed to buckle underneath him. He just let himself slowly sink back in the chair he had been sitting in the past three hours. Mind blank and legs numb, he put his head in his hands, letting exhaustion take over.

Somewhere in the distance he heard his uncle mumble.

"So now, we jus' wait…"


	7. Alone

_**A/N I'll keep it short, seeing I can keep telling y'all I'm sorry, I've decided to just stop blabbering, and start posting. This chapter is a sort of in between chapter, setting the scene for the next part of the story... I want to thank you all for reviewing, they always keep me going. Even though I'm too busy to write, they make me find time for it!**_

_**So all I'm gonna say now is: enjoy!**_

7

Darkness surrounded him.

An endless moan seemed to haunt him in this dreary mist.

From every direction it clawed at him.

"Murderer…"

"Weak…"

"Worthless…"

He tried to put his hands to his ears, but his arms seemed to be immobilized next to his body, held in place by an invisible force.

Turning his head to look around him, he saw nothing. An endless fog, swirling through the dark hole that seemed to surround him, whirled around him.

A flutter of wings was the only sound overpowering the moans around him.

And then, he was falling.

The air left his body, cutting off the scream that threatened to come out of his throat. The fall seemed to take forever, making Luke feel nauseous and light-headed. That is, until the ground caught up to him, and his body landed with a dull and painful thud.

As Luke stretched his legs, he suddenly noticed he could use both his legs. Putting his hands under him, he slowly pushed himself up, his entire body aching as if fire was burning through his veins.

Finally he was standing up straight, and looked around. The moment he did this, he wished he had stayed down…

The air around him was thick with smoke, a tractor standing next to him on a piece of his uncle's farmland. Through the smoke, he could feel the burning sun on his skin, as it lit just enough of the land to show the beginnings of jungle-area around him.

Overwhelming were the sounds, and they sounded as if they had never left him. Gunfire blowing overhead, flashes of grenades blinding him, and the screaming…

The screams were the worst of it. Agonizing moans, overpowered by shrill screams coming from grown men, who were using their final breaths.

The smell of napalm clung to the mist surrounding him, burning his throat as he breathed in the polluted air around him.

Whirling around on aching legs, Lukas Duke suddenly found himself in one of his worst nightmares…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ya think he can hear us?"

Daisy Duke asked her Uncle as they were seated around the hospital-bed containing their seemingly sleeping cousin.

Looking over his oldest nephew, seeing the sunburnt face, chapped lips and the slight frown covering his handsome face, the Duke patriarch slowly nodded his head.

"Yeah, I think he can," he whispered, looking over to the door, knowing his youngest nephew should be here too.

Seeing her uncle look at where Bo had disappeared an hour earlier, Daisy felt a pang of pain shoot through her heart. Her baby-cousin wasn't taking this well.

She couldn't even imagine what he had been through, finding Luke in the state he was, and then waiting with him until the paramedics came. She had seen the pain in his eyes the minute he had walked through the doors of the hospital, and within time it had only gotten worse.

Her vibrant cousin, who always seemed to find the slightest bit of hope in a desperate situation, was now silent. His eyes averted from the people he loved, and the sparkle which had always been there, was now nowhere to be seen.

An hour ago they had been allowed to go see Luke, but the minute Bo had seen his cousin lying there, pale and small in the hospital-bed, his leg elevated and thickly bandaged, he had promptly turned around, almost knocking her over on his way out of the room.

She had wanted to follow him, but her uncle had stopped her, telling her he probably needed some space.

So now they were sitting there, with one cousin in a coma in the stark white room, and another lost in a completely different way.

Wiping a stray tear from her face, she grabbed Luke's free hand, whispering in his ear.

"Come back to us Luke, we need ya…"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"We need ya…"

The whisper was so soft he almost didn't hear it over the moans still surrounding him.

But the next moment the sentence was completely forgotten as another familiar voice came through the noises around him.

"Sarge!"

Placing one foot after another, Luke slowly moved away from the tractor, making his way to where the voice came from. Even though he didn't want to come anywhere near the jungle around him, his body seemed to have a mind of its own, as he came closer and closer to the tree line filled with gunfire.

Ducking, he suddenly noticed his old army helmet covering his pounding head, and as if an old friend took over his body, he slid back into his role of Sergeant Duke…

"Henry?" he whispered, not wanting to let the Vietcong know where they were.

"Sarge!" the voice yelled loudly, "Yur here!"

Looking around him, Luke noticed the helmet first, sticking out of the bushes next to him. Crawling over he expected to see the maggot-infested face with the eyes hanging out of their sockets, but when he looked up in the blushing face of Henry Gale, he felt the relief flood him.

His eyes revealed a sense of relief, but also sadness.

"Why you here sarge?" he asked, his voice quivering.

"I mean, I'm kinda glad yur here cause it's real scary, but you…" he paused looking thoroughly confused and sad, "Ya shouldn't be here Luke…"

"Whatta ya mean Henry?" Luke asked, not really understanding Henry's babbling as he had been cautious of any enemy-fire.

Grabbing Luke by the arms, getting his attention immediately, Henry Gale suddenly seemed different then all those years ago. To Luke, he seemed… Dead.

"Ya don't belong here buddy. I made my choice ta go with em, but I know you didn't. Don't let them win Luke!" he snarled, scaring Luke a little.

As the sky darkened, both men looked up, immediately noticing the flock of crows flying over the misty jungle.

And as one crow flew down, landing right next to them on a tree branch, Luke heard the gunshot. Henry's eyes got big, as his chest seemed to explode from the impact of the bullet. Blood sprayed Luke's face and chest as he caught his falling friend.

Laying there, with him in his arms, for the second time in his life, Luke felt an overwhelming despair fill him.

"No… Not again" he choked.

"Don't worry," the man in his lap croaked, blood flowing over his lips, "I chose this… I killed… My punishment…" he coughed one final time.

Looking around him, Luke noticed the crow sitting next to them, blood still circling his beak as it hopped onto the body of Henry Gale, its claw like paws buried into the wound in his chest.

"Alone…"

It was the only word the crow belted, but its echo seemed to surround him forever. Backing away from his friends body, seeing the crow peck at his eyes, Luke Duke turned around and ran.

This was not happening…

Enemy fire was around him, and he avoided a couple of sniper bullets as he ran deeper and deeper into the jungle.

One bullet splashed into the sand underneath his feet, and all of a sudden an obstacle was in his way. Too late to stop, his feet got caught up into the soft tissue of a body lying there.

Even as he was falling, he caught site of blonde curly hair coming from underneath a green helmet…

Hitting the ground hurt his aching body, but all he could see were the blonde curls.

Turning around slowly, he recognized the body immediately as a wail escaped his mouth.

"Bo!"

Backing up against a tree he started to shake his head.

"No…" this couldn't be happening. He wasn't there. He was never there… Not even in his nightmares. He hadn't been there… But now…

A flash of his cousin, lying next to the tractor bleeding from a gaping wound in his chest, with lifeless eyes staring at him, hit him like a bullet never could.

Crawling over to the body, Luke let his hands run over the lifeless form of his blood brother. Blood stained his hands after touching Bo's chest, and he was mesmerized as he looked at them as if in slow motion.

Putting his hands down ever so slowly, his eyes searched the blue eyes he knew as well as his own eyes. They were closed…

Running his bloody hands over Bo's face, leaving red marks behind, he started to shake him.

"Bo? Wake up cuz, I'm sorry," he cried.

"I'm so sorry…" he chanted, still touching his cousin's face reverently.

"So sorry…"

The grenade exploding next to him got his attention for a second. And as he turned back to his baby cousin, wide pale blue eyes were now directed at him.

"You did this to me Lukas."

The voice was cold and scratchy, but it came from his cousin's mouth.

"No…" Luke shook his head, "It… It was an accident…. The mowing machine…"

"Why was I there?" his cousin's voice cut him off.

Looking away from the cold eyes, Luke closed his eyes, admitting the truth to himself, as well as his cousin.

"For me…" he whispered, "Ya where there ta help me…"

"And look where it get me," the voice mocked, and Luke wanted to put his hands in front of his ears. But the truth was hard, and he knew this was it.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, "I wish it was me…"

"Well now, there's something we agree about," 'Bo' mocked again.

Looking at his cousin with disbelief, Luke looked at his bloody hands.

"I'll fix it… I'll stay here with ya, I promise…" Luke said hoarsely, "I'll never leave ya alone."

A laugh escaped the bloodied mouth while one seemingly lifeless hand shot up to grab Luke's bloody hand.

"Don't ya understand? You already did leave me, and now yur alone. All alone!" he scratched, his voice turning into a familiar voice belonging to a black creature haunting him.

Scurrying back, Luke pulled his hand out of Bo's grasp, looked at his cousin one last time, and flew through the jungle again, hearing the laughter behind him die down.

He ran until his legs hurt, and still he ran. He ran until he stepped on something hard, heard a click, and the world grew white.

From then on, Lukas Duke knew no more…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

And on the steps of Tri-County hospital a sleeping Bo Duke shot up, blue eyes wide with fear and grief, as the flashes of a dream floated through his mind, only to disappear into a whirl of images of jungle, crows, blood and laughter…


	8. Shoulda woulda coulda

_**A/N: I know it's short, but I didn't want to take any longer posting and it also felt like the right ending for this chapter. So sorry if it's short, but still: enjoy!**_

8

_And on the steps of Tri-County hospital a sleeping Bo Duke shot up, blue eyes wide with fear and grief, as the flashes of a dream floated through his mind, only to disappear into a whirl of images of jungle, crows, blood and laughter…_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sitting on the steps of Tri-County hospital, Bo Duke rubbed his face with tired hands.

'That was one strange dream…'

The sound of that evil laughter still resounded in the back of his head. Echoes of words and sounds seemed to come together there, until they faded to the normal sounds coming from the cars on the parking lot of the hospital.

Shaking his head, Bo stood on wobbly legs, realizing he was still tired when his head started to swim as he stood op straight.

Grabbing hold of the railing next to him, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, guiding him inside, where he was seated down in the first chair they came across.

"You okay there buddy?" Enos Strate asked in a worried tone.

He had come to check up on the situation with Luke, when he had noticed Bo sitting on the stairs of the hospital, looking like he saw a ghost. When the boy had tried to stand up, and his face had gone even paler, Enos knew he had to help.

Looking down at one of his oldest friends, sitting in the chair, avoiding his eyes as his stomach growled loudly, he knew what he had to do.

"You stay right here Bo, I'll get ya somethin ta eat," he said and quickly got up to get it, before Bo could protest.

"I ain't hungry," Bo mumbled, not even noticing Enos had already flew away.

Looking up, he noticed this, and rubbed his face again, trying to loose the numb feeling he had.

Why wasn't he with Luke? Why couldn't he just sit besides the bed, hold his cousin's hand and pray, just like his family was probably doing right now?

Leaning back against the wall, he knew the answer to his questions.

He was scared… Scared to see his cousin in the state he was in now, but even more scared to be reminded of the state he had found him in, only hours ago. Those images would be permanently etched onto his brain. And going into that hospital-room, seeing the chapped lips and the damaged leg, would only prove that it had been real.

It hadn't been a nightmare where he would wake up from, where his cousin would lie in the bed next to him, quietly snoring the night away. It hadn't been a day-dream, where he would be pelted with cold water for slacking off.

It was real, and somehow, Bo Duke couldn't deal with reality now. It was to gruesome…

The second he closed his eyes however, gruesome was the first word to describe what he saw, when images of his nearly forgotten dream flashed before his eyes again.

Their tractor, standing on empty farmland, with jungle surrounding it?

Crows, all over the place, pecking at the bodies lying there, as gunfire blasted around him.

Looking up, seeing smoke, and… Luke?

Words seemed to flow through his head at that moment.

'Sorry…'

'Your fault…'

'Yur alone…'

Laughter filled his mind as the image of Luke running away, before disappearing in a blast so loud it made his ears ring. He even thought he felt the world shaking…

Until Enos' voice came through, as he shook Bo's shoulder for good measure.

"Bo? I brought ya some food…" he explained, seeing the strange expression on Bo's hollow face when he opened his eyes.

"Huh?" Bo only managed to say.

"Ya looked like ya were miles away there," Enos said, looking down at the sandwich and coffee he had placed on a tray.

Staring into space, Bo mumbled,

"I think I was…"

"Here," the deputy said, while sitting down next to the Duke-boy as he handed him the sandwich.

Taking the sandwich into cold hands, Bo looked at it as if it was a foreign object. He couldn't get those images of blood and smoke out of his head.

Looking up in Enos' worried eyes, Bo seemed to find his voice.

"Thanks Enos…"

"It's just a sandwich Bo," Enos said shyly, eyes turning down as he fumbled with his hat in his hands.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Bo's face, as he explained himself.

"I meant for everything… For bein' there with me an'-," he paused as he swallowed away the lump that had formed in his throat, "me an' Luke…"

"Aw shucks Bo, ya know it's my job," Enos replied, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink.

Putting his hand on the deputy's shoulder Bo nodded slightly, taking a small bite of the sandwich.

"Bo?" Enos asked, hoping he wasn't intruding with the question that had burned on his lips for the past minutes.

"Yeah?" Bo answered, taking another small bite of the sandwich, not really tasting it, just going through the motion of chewing and swallowing.

"I hope ya don't get mad at me for askin', but… Why ain't ya with Luke?"

Bo suddenly looked the other way, putting the piece of bread back on the tray as he felt the bile rise up in his throat.

"I jus' can't Enos…" he whispered, not wanting to go there yet.

"Why not?" Enos asked in all his innocence. Those boys were closer than two peas in a pod, and now that one needed the other, they were apart. It just didn't make sense in Enos' world.

"I just can't alright!" Bo yelled as he stood up suddenly, throwing the tray on the ground with his action.

Rubbing his tired eyes, he started to pace the length of the hallway as Enos just watched his friend fall apart.

With hollow eyes, staring at nothing, or maybe at something Enos couldn't see, Bo kept pacing. Meanwhile running his hands through his hair or over his face, he just couldn't keep them still. Enos also noticed the increasing shaking of his shoulders…

"I can't… What if… It's just… He wouldn't want me to…"

Bo kept muttering incoherently, he almost didn't hear Enos' voice coming through the haze he had been in for a long time now.

"Why won't ya be there for him, Bo?"

This stopped Bo in his tracks, a sudden bout of anger washing over him, directed at himself as well as the people around him.

"Be there for him?!" he asked incredulously, "I wasn't there for him while he was lyin' there, bleedin from god knows where, baking in that goddamn heat, all alone!"

Enos didn't answer, knowing Bo needed to vent.

"I was so busy with gettin' home an' fixin' fences I wrecked, I didn't even think about him until I got home! Why didn't I go to him sooner?!" he yelled, finally sinking to his knees, his posture deflating in a second, taking the anger with it.

"Why wasn't I there, huh? Tell me Enos, why did he have ta be alone out there, sufferin…" Bo started to sob, his breath hitching in his throat.

Enos didn't know what to do, but as he looked up and saw the old man stand there, his hat in his hands as he looked at his broken nephew, he knew his job was done here. Standing up slowly, he put a hand on Jesse's shoulder as the eldest Duke made his way over to his youngest charge. Who was now sitting on the floor, head in his hands, crying full force.

Sitting down next to the boy, bones cracking, Jesse just put a hand on his head, and Bo fell into the embrace his uncle was offering.

"I'm so sorry uncle Jesse…" he mumbled, "I shoulda gotten there sooner… If I-,"

"Bo," Jesse cut him off, "Ya couldn't know. It was just an accident, ya did everything ya could, and ya did good son. Ya did good…" The white-haired man whispered, his own voice rough as he comforted his nephew.

"But he was alone uncle Jesse," Bo whispered with an almost childish voice.

"I know, but then you came, and ya took care of him, so he wasn't alone no more," Jesse replied strongly.

"And now, he needs ya too, so don't leave him alone now Bo," Jesse ended, knowing he had hit the spot now.

Swallowing thickly, Bo mumbled, "I'm scared uncle Jesse…"

"Me too son, me too…" Jesse answered, but continued, "But we's gotta be strong for Luke now, so he will wake up soon."

Looking into his uncle's icy blue eyes, Bo finally seemed to find the strength he always knew he had, and with renewed confidence, he nodded, slowly getting up from the linoleum floor.

"Let's go visit that cousin a yours," Jesse said, putting an arm around Bo's middle, guiding him to the room Luke was in.

"If anyone can talk him back to the real world, it'll be you Bo…"

Bo smiled slightly as they made their way to the room his cousin was in, blissfully unaware of what was happening around him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-


	9. Stay up with you all night

_**A/N Good news, good news! I am officially over my 'half of the story is done and I have no idea where I want to go with this- bump'!! So that means no more long waits for a chapter, for which I am very, very sorry... Well, I'll hope you'll like where this is going. The Dukes aren't free from the 'crow's curse' yet... Please read and review. Enjoy!**_

9

Silence reigned the room.

Only three people occupied it, and they were all either deep in thought or far away in a land of their own.

Bo had finally found the courage to come inside, shuddering as he saw the way his cousin looked in the hospital-bed. He was a little relieved though, cause Luke looked better than when he was lying underneath the tractor. His face contained some colour, even though it was probably the fever that caused it, and his arm and leg were safely covered by blankets and bandages.

A slight cough from his uncle alerted Bo to his presence. He had been miles away for a minute, so he had no idea if his uncle had spoken or not.

Looking up at the man he considered a father, he saw the downcast eyes. He also suddenly noticed the lines on the man's weathered face. His uncle looked genuinely tired.

Looking at his own hands, he smiled wryly at the tremors still going through them. Little brown lines under his fingernails still showed the traces of blood he hadn't been able to scrub off. The redness of his calloused hands showed that he had tried, hard.

Looking at the bed he was seated next to, he saw almost the same hands. One was hidden under the blankets and bandages, but the other one was lying on top, next to Bo's hands.

When they were children they had always been proud how their hands almost matched. Same size, same colour and even shape. When they had gotten older, they hadn't compared anymore, but Bo had always known their hands had stayed the same.

Now his were fidgeting, while Luke's were laying there lifeless and still. Tracing the faint scar on the palm of his own hand, he slowly turned over Luke's, only to find the same little scar.

"_We're blood-brothers now Bo," Luke said solemnly while wiping the little pocket-knife. _

"_So now we's actual brothers?" a sixteen-year old Bo had asked, sceptic, but trusting of his cousin. _

"_Well, not officially, but in our hearts we are, so whenever I'm away or in 'Nam, you'll always have part of me with ya…"_

Pressing the two scars together, Bo swallowed thickly. He could remember that day as if it were yesterday. The day before Luke left to become a marine…

Looking at the mop of dark-brown hair and the lines on Luke's face, Bo could almost picture Luke's young scar-less face with the crew-cut he had on the day he stepped on that bus.

'He came back then, he will come back now…' Bo spoke to himself mentally as he put down the slack hand he had been squeezing tightly.

Rubbing his hands over his face, he looked at his uncle again. The old man had fallen asleep in the chair, and he didn't look comfortable.

"Uncle Jesse," Bo whispered as he softly touched the man's shoulder.

"Huh? He awake?" The old man asked, feeling a little disorientated.

Bo slowly shook his head as both their eyes travelled towards the bed where another Duke was doing a great impression of a perfectly still human-statue.

Turning back to his uncle again, Bo decided he had other people to look after too.

"Uncle Jesse, why don't ya go home for a bit," he started.

Seeing the refusal in his uncle's eyes immediately, he barged on quickly,

"Just ta sleep a little, an' Daisy probably already made ya some decent food. I'll stay here an' keep an eye on Luke."

Jesse noticed the fire in Bo's little speech, and he knew that even if he refused, his youngest would come up with something to make him go home, so he only nodded.

"Awright, I'll go, but only for a couple hours. There's some chores to be done too, but I'll be back real soon now, ya hear?"

At that last sentence, Bo felt a wave of guilt flood him, and he almost offered to go back himself. But after seeing the tired blue eyes of his uncle, he knew where his priorities were.

Nodding vigorously, Bo watched as his uncle, the man he had always considered a father, stood over the bed and kissed Luke's forehead softly.

"Now don't ya leave us Lukas, ya hear," he whispered to his eldest nephew, before turning to Bo and patting his blonde curls.

"You look after him, cause if there's anyone he needs, it's you," he spoke and Bo nodded again.

"Be back in an hour or so," Jesse said loudly, so both boys could hear him and he walked out of the hospital to go back to Daisy and the farm for a while.

"Well, here we are cuz, alone again," Bo murmured, his mind going back to the last time he had been alone with Luke. The thought alone was enough to make him stand up from his seat, and pace the small hospital-room.

"Ya know, I almost didn't come in here…" he started, needing to explain his actions, even though Luke probably wouldn't hear him.

"I guess I was kinda scared ta see ya. An' I felt a little guilty bout letting ya lay there for so long," Bo took a shaky breath before continuing, "I know I wasn't there for ya when the accident happened, but I promise ya, I am here for ya now… I just hope ya 'll let me."

Looking out the window, he could see the General Lee standing there. Enos must've brought it over a while ago. The early morning sun was warming it, and the bright orange of the car seemed to shine even more than ever. Turning back from the window, a small shadow suddenly caught his eye, as he turned his attention back at the roof of the car. A large crow was now sitting on it, it's claws stood firmly on the white of the confederate flag. Bo was tempted to scare it off, but all of a sudden the crow raised its head, and it was almost like he was looking at him.

Bo stared back for a second, a little creeped out by the way the crow seemed to fascinate him. He blinked once, and the connection was broken. A flutter of wings was all that was left of the pitch-black animal and Bo instantly forgot the incident.

Turning back to the hospital-bed Bo sat down again, a bone weary tiredness filling him, as he laid his head down on the soft mattress.

Next to Luke's unmoving hand, Bo Duke fell in a deep, dreamless sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The slight movement was missed by the sleeping Duke.

The moan, however, made him shoot up, eyes wide as his disoriented mind calmed down enough to direct him to the person lying on the bed before him.

Luke was lying perfectly still and Bo sighed, as he let his head down, eyes cast downward on the white sheets on the bed.

The thumb stroking his hand felt natural, and at first he didn't think anything about it. One millisecond later though, Bo Duke's eyes slowly made their way to his hand, seeing the hand of his older cousin making slight movements as his thumb kept rubbing over Bo's hand.

Tears started to cloud his vision as his eyes travelled upwards once more, one word on his lips.

"Luke?" he croaked.

As he saw the deep blue eyes of his cousin staring at the ceiling, he could have sang with joy. His hands moved to Luke's face, as if he couldn't believe what happened before him.

"You with me buddy?" he asked, fear slowly creeping through his veins as Luke's eyes kept staring at the ceiling, before very slowly turning to him.

Sweat covered his face and Bo noticed the glaze covering the bright blue eyes instantly. Eyes that were now turned back to the ceiling, as the same moan came from Luke's mouth again.

A moan which seemed to hold a lot of pain…

"Luke?" Bo repeated again, still not getting a reaction. The knot in his stomach only grew as he saw the redness of Luke's face, showing him the fever was probably shooting up.

Looking around the bed fervently, Bo searched for the button that had to be there. Finding it, he pushed it several times, knowing that Luke needed a doctor, now.

As several nurses entered the room, Bo told them to get dr. Ramirez, relief flooding him when he already entered the room behind the nurses who were now working on bringing Luke's fever down.

Bo was immediately directed out of the room, and as the door behind him closed he sagged against the wall, praying that this was a good sign. Luke had been awake… Awake. You don't wake up to just lay down and die, do ya?

Sitting there, trying to remain positive in the drama that had become his life, Bo never noticed the door open.

"Bo?" Dr. Ramirez addressed the youngest Duke, seeing how he was staring at the ground, deep in thought.

The moment he saw the doctor standing next to him, Bo was already standing, taking the light-headedness for granted as he stood up too fast.

"How is he doc?" he asked, an eager tone to his voice.

Looking the young man in front of him up and down, doctor Ramirez wished he had taken another job, something without the angst and emotions he encountered here… The fact was, Luke Duke was not doing well. Yes he had woken up, but the infection in his leg was getting worse, and no antibiotic or medicine in this hospital was going to change that.

"He woke up didn't he?" Bo asked, unfazed by the doctors musings.

Nodding slowly, dr. Ramirez shook himself from his thoughts.

"Luke did wake, but he hasn't reacted to any stimuli, so we won't know what damage there is until his fever breaks."

Seeing Bo's wide eyes at the word 'damage', he almost wanted to make a run for it, again. What was it with this family and their hospital-visits? Somehow, they always seemed to touch him with their strong care for one another.

"The infection in his leg however, is getting worse. I'm sorry to say this Bo, but we seriously have to consider amputation…"

"No."

It was only one word, but Bo Duke spoke with such strength, that he didn't need more words.

"Bo, he may die if we don't amputate," the doc tried, knowing this was the only and most convincing argument he had.

"No."

It was still one word, but doubt was setting in. Bo's baby blue eyes were filled with fire, but uncertainty was starting to show as he saw the certainty in dr. Ramirez' eyes.

"He won't want to live like that, I know him doc. Luke ain't gonna survive somethin' like that…"

"Bo, I've had lots of people here who said something like that, but the patients always bounce back. And if we don't do this, he will die anyway." Dr. Ramirez ended, he had pleaded his case.

Bo turned around, tired eyes overlooking the buzz in the hospital, knowing there was only one thing to do.

"I'm gonna call our uncle Jesse now…"

**Folks, whenever a Duke's in trouble, uncle Jesse is the one ta call. An' I'm sure he'll want ta have a say in all o' this. So don't go to the fridge now, cause the trouble ain't over yet… **


	10. Save a life?

_**A/N I promised to update a little more frequent, and I hope this will do for now... School has been crazy for the past week, and will be for a few weeks to come. But I will definitely try to keep up with these updates! This one is pretty short, but I hope you like... Enjoy! ;-)**_

10

"Uncle Jesse?" the quivering voice was not what Jesse had expected to hear when the phone had rung. Bo had been alright when he had left the hospital. This could only mean one thing…

"What happened?" the older man questioned as he sat down heavily, expecting the worst.

"They's gonna cut off his leg uncle Jesse…"

Closing his eyes and bowing his head, Jesse sighed. 'It could have been worse' was the only thought flowing through his mind right now. In the meantime, Bo continued to talk, his voice getting more exasperated by the second.

"- his fever shot up, but he woke up, and the doc said they had to amputate or he'll die. But he don't know Luke like we do, cause Luke would never want to lose a limb, he'd rather we try to solve it any other way…" he ended, a little out of breath after spewing his view of what had happened just yet.

"Bo," Jesse's calm voice was like a bucket of cold water being dumped on him, and his anger dissipated immediately, only sadness remained.

"I know he wouldn't want it uncle Jesse," he ended, knowing he wasn't only convincing his uncle.

"Bo, listen ta me, I'm comin' right now with Daisy, an' we'll talk then alright? You just stay there, an' take care of yur cousin until then."

"Okay… Thanks uncle Jesse, I love ya," Bo whispered, knowing the situation would be taken care of by his uncle now.

"That's my boy, I love ya too, now you go to Luke and we'll be there as soon as we can," Jesse ended before hanging up the phone and calling for Daisy.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When the door opened and his uncle and Daisy stepped in, Bo had never felt so relieved. Sitting here with Luke, who's fever was getting higher and higher, had been absolute torture. Doc Ramirez had come in a couple of times, telling him he needed permission to operate as soon as possible, but Bo could only tell him to wait for their uncle to arrive.

So when Luke was moaning in pain, his eyes closed, with sweat still dripping of his face as if he had just climbed out of Hazzard Pond, Bo had felt completely helpless. He had taken the sponge from the nurse, to wipe away the drops from Luke's forehead, trying to cool him down, just a little.

He was just washing the clot with more cool water when Daisy and his uncle walked in.

"Uncle Jesse," he murmured, instantly walking over to the man he considered a father and hugging him for dear life.

"Don't let them do it, uncle Jesse… He wouldn't survive it…" Bo spoke in his uncle's shoulder.

Pulling his youngest charge away from him, Jesse looked him in the eye.

"Now Bo, I just spoke to doc Ramirez, an' he told me that if we don't consent ta this, Luke won't make it through the night."

Daisy, who had taken a seat next to Luke, gently swiping his face with the clot Bo had held just a minute ago, put her hand against her mouth to suffocate the sob which was welling up.

Looking at his cousin, his blood-brother, lying there with his leg elevated and his body being ravaged by the fever because of that leg, Bo made a decision.

"No, I won't let ya take away his leg," he said hotly.

Jesse sighed, he had already made his decision after talking to the doc. He had expected some resistance from Bo, but he hadn't expected this…

"Son, have ya listened ta me or the doc?" he asked, knowing Bo only had the best in mind for his cousin.

Bo nodded, his curls bouncing a little as his cheeks were getting flushed when he spoke again.

"I know that his fever is gettin' higher, and that he could die because of it, but uncle Jesse, Luke's strong, he'll fight it, I know him!"

Putting one hand on Bo's shoulder, Jesse was shocked when the young Duke shook it off, stalking to the bed where Daisy was still cooling Luke's face.

"I know him…" he repeated, looking at his uncle again, "And I swear ta you uncle Jesse, he don't want them to take his leg."

Jesse looked at his oldest charge, lying there, helpless as to what decision had to be made about his life at this very moment.

"Bo, I understand what yur sayin son, but I have ta think about what's most important now, an' that's that I want him here alive. With or without a leg, that don't matter ta me now, all that matters is that he's alive to yell at me for making that decision for him…" Jesse ended his voice raw with emotion.

Deep inside, he knew Luke would hate him for this íf he made it. But that was something he would take for granted, as long as his boy was alive so he could have a future. Even if that was gonna be a future where he would hate his uncle and have to learn to live with a disability.

"I can't let ya do that uncle Jesse," Bo retorted, angry at this whole mess they were in. He didn't blame his uncle for having his opinion, but he would fight till the very end for his.

His uncle was about to respond to this, when Luke let out a loud moan, causing all eyes to focus on the young man lying in the bed before them.

Luke shifted a little, pain showing clearly on his blushed face and Jesse knew what he had to do.

"Bo," he started, seeing his own worry being reflected in his nephew's eyes, "Ya know that this is the right thing ta do. If we want Luke ta live, it's the only thing ta do…"

Lowering his head from the sight of his pleading uncle, his silent cousin and the hospital bed where Luke was dying, Bo choked back the tears that were filling his eyes.

"But…" he started, not knowing how to finish. Luke was one of the most important people in his life. They had grown up together, shared their hopes and dreams, even their fears. They had seen each other at their best and at their worst. From Bo's point of view, they weren't cousins, they were brothers. And brothers took care of each other.

But how did you take care of someone if the wrong decision meant death? And what if no matter what you decided, death would be the outcome?

Lifting his head, Bo's troubled eyes met Jesse's, and the Duke patriarch could almost physically feel the tug of war going on in there.

"Bo," he murmured, placing on hand on his nephew's shoulder, while the other rested on Daisy's, "Ya know this is the only choice…"

Nodding a little, Bo felt defeated.

Looking in his uncle's eyes, he needed to try one more time.

"Uncle Jesse, just wait for a few more hours…" he pleaded, eyes getting wet with the idea of them changing Luke's life with one simple word.

Jesse could only nod. For Bo to give up on his argument like that had probably cost him a great deal of strength. All he could do for him now was give him a few hours. Hours in which Luke could get worse, but also hours where there could be a chance of it getting better. And even though Jesse knew it would probably get worse, if there was even a fighting chance, he would take it, just like Bo did.

As if on cue, dr. Ramirez walked in, Luke's chart tightly in his hands. Seeing the Dukes standing with each other, he immediately knew they had made a decision.

"Jesse?" he asked, seeing the old man look up slowly.

"Give us a few more hours doc, then, you can do whatever you need to do."

Nodding slowly, dr. Ramirez took Luke's temperature, noticing it kept climbing.

"You have to understand though, if this fever keeps rising, he won't make it till midnight."

"You keep us informed doc, if it gets too high, we'll sign the papers. We just want ta give Luke a fighting chance…"

Seeing the finality in the Duke's eyes, dr. Ramirez turned around and left the room, leaving three Dukes in there who were now praying for Luke to fight whatever fever was raging in his body.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

And deep inside one Duke-boy's mind, one black crow still pecked at the bodies around them, as his own limbs started to feel like lead while he laid on the moist jungle ground, bugs crawling over him while he slowly let himself sink in…


	11. Had I known

_**A/N Thanks to my wonderful exploding laptop, I had a little trouble finishing and posting this chapter. But, thanks to a wonderful computerfella, my laptop is working (partly), and I can post! I have to admit it is a bit short, but since I am someone who loves cliffies, I had to stop here. Bright side is, the next update will come sooner! ;-)  
I want to thank Graywolf for donating one of her story-ideas, which fitted so perfectly in this story. Thank you so much Graywolf! I'll just let you go on to the story now... Enjoy!**_

11

_Time: 22.05, temp: 104°_

For the third time that evening dr. Ramirez left the room, only to leave even more worried Dukes.

Luke's temperature had risen another degree, and according to the doc, if it reached 104.5, Luke had to be operated.

All Bo Duke could think of was praying. He prayed to the Lord, he prayed to his aunt Martha, he even prayed to all the other saints he could think of at that moment. If they could just save his cousin, he would do anything for them. Heck, he'd sell his soul if that meant Luke would be alright.

Daisy Duke had never felt this helpless in her entire life. The feisty young woman had always stood her ground in fights, and could charm a man out of his last pair of socks if she wanted.  
But she couldn't do anything now. All she could do was make her cousin as comfortable as possible, as his own body fought against him, while he fought back with his strongwilled mind.

Dipping the cloth into the cool water again, Daisy continued wiping the sweat off of Luke's wet forehead.

For Jesse Duke, this white hospital room had become to familiar. If he thought back to the times he had sat here, watching over one of his charges, he suddenly felt old. He knew he wasn't the youngest anymore, but as old as he felt right now...  
Looking over his nephew, the one who had joined him first, the one where Jesse had learnt to love unconditionally, Jesse swallowed. There was no way that this young man would be laid to his final resting place before hìm. Making the decision in an instant, Jesse straightened, just as the door opened again, revealing the man who could possibly be the bearer of bad news...

In silence, the Dukes watched as dr. Ramirez took Luke's temperature once more, and somehow, all of them knew, this was it. This would be the point where Luke would make it, or where they would have to make the choice to break him.

Looking up at the expecting faces, dr. Ramirez sadly shook his head, eliciting a number of responses in the entire room.

Bo stood up suddenly, and left the room with long strides, face held down to hide the tears running from tired eyes.

Daisy just lowered her head, as two big tears fell from her eyes and landed on Luke's pristine white sheets. Her hands continued their gentle work silently.

Jesse only nodded, knowing that this was something that had to happen. They had gambled, and they had lost...

"Do it..."

The raspy voice spoke with certainty, but the quiver in it was obvious.

Dr. Ramirez wished that he had better news, but he had given them ánd Luke all the time he could give them, without losing his patient.

"Prepare the OR," he spoke to the nurse as they walked out of the room together.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_"Luke, no!" Bo giggled as Luke took off after him, running around Hazzard Pond with long strides._

_"You shoulda thought of that before ya pelted me cuz!" Luke laughed as he saw the opening where Bo had slowed down to avoid a low hanging branch. Aiming carefully, Luke threw his body onto Bo's, who never saw him coming._

_With a loud splash, Bo's heavy body hit the water, as Luke looked on from the branch he had climbed on after bumping Bo. _

_A soaking wet head bobbed through the surface, revealing a thoroughly angry looking Duke, who kinda resembled a wet cat by now. _

_"Jeez Bo, ya kinda look like miss Tizdale's cat after we accidentally sprayed it last summer..."_

_Looking up where he could see his cousins legs dangling above him, a sly grin came over Bo's face._

_"Well cuz, you would too if ya where abused like that," he said sweetly. _

_Luke's hearty laugh was cut off as Bo grabbed both his legs, and tugged hard, causing Luke to fall of the branch, into the waiting wetness beneath him. _

_When he came up, Bo dunked him again, causing Luke to struggle back, causing the whole thing to turn into a full blown water fight, within seconds. _

_Half an hour later, two exhausted Duke boys, laid on the grass next to Hazzard Pond. Both panting hard. _

_"I never knew ya could be so fast cuz, you's like one a those goats Jesse had when we was kids. Remember when they got loose?" Bo spoke shaking his hair as waterdrops flew everywhere. _

_Wiping away Bo's waterdrops, Luke tried to look offended, but just laughed as he remembered why those goats got loose…_

"_Only you could know that Bo, you were the one who they was chasin' after," he chuckled. _

"_Hmpf," was the only response he got for a while. _

"_Hey Luke?" Bo asked, glancing sideways at his cousin who was laying on his back, shirt discarded, looking up at the sky. _

"_Yeah?"_

"_Nothin', I just remembered ya really saved me back then. If it hadn't been for you gettin their attention, they woulda killed little ol' me… So, thanks I guess…"_

_Turning towards Bo, Luke's expression softened, _

"_Aw Bo, I already knew back then, you would do the same for me cuz…"_

_Nodding immediately, Bo turned back to lying in the grass next to his cousin, who had also laid back down. _

"_Always," came the mumble from both Dukes, almost at the exact same time. _

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Bo Duke impatiently wiped away a stray tear as it coursed down his cheek. He had tried. He had tried to save his cousin, and now he had failed… And there was nothing he could do now but wait.

His uncle and Daisy had joined him half an hour ago, telling him that they had taken Luke away for surgery immediately after they had left the room.

So now they waited, again. But this time, they knew there was no hope of sparing Luke the loss of his limb. They could only pray that he survived the surgery and would come out of it, filled with the will power to learn to live with his disability.

The clock kept ticking, and after an hour of waiting in that small, yet cold room, the door opened to reveal dr. Ramirez, still in his scrubs, sweat-drops pouring down his face.

Bo looked at the doctor, than at the clock.

Only an hour had passed since they took his cousin away to sever his dying limb from his failing body. And in that hour, they could not perform an operation as complicated as they had planned.

The look on dr. Ramirez face spoke volumes. The surgery hadn't gone like planned. And in those few moments of silence where three faces intently looked at the one who had all the answers, Bo felt like he would suffocate. Had all been lost?

"I'm very sorry…"


	12. Looking up

_**A/N Phew, finally... This chapter cost me some sweat and tears! Well, mostly it cost me time, and since I didn't have a lot of that lately, it took me a while to post this. Like always, I'm sorry, but I hope you'll still enjoy! ;-)**_

12

"I'm very sorry…"

Standing up straight, Jesse Duke was prepared to take this news like the family-patriarch he was. Yet, his shaky legs betrayed him.

Next to him, Bo and Daisy had stood up to support him as the doctor spoke.

"When we started the surgery, Luke showed signs of cardiac arrest. We had to bring him back two times, and therefore, he was not stable enough to perform such a long operation on him. He is stable now," three audible breaths were released after he said that, " but we couldn't remove his lower leg. All I could do was clean it as best as I could, to slow down the infection, so he will be stable enough in the morning. We will have to wait and see if he will be able to fight this infection through the night, and if he has stabilized in the morning, we will consider another attempt at amputation."

Seeing the reality sink in with the Duke family, dr. Ramirez chose not to tell them that there was a good possibility that Luke would not survive the night. He knew that these families needed to believe in something, yet he also didn't tell the people standing in front of him, that there was the slightest chance that Luke Duke could fight the infection, and his leg could be saved.

Shaking Jesse's hand, he made his way out of the room, heading out for a short night of sleep. He had to be back first thing in the morning, and he hoped to God that luck would be on the side of the Dukes tonight…

"Uncle Jesse?" the soft voice of Daisy filtered through the fog of Jesse Duke's brain. He looked her way, seeing that her face was filed with worry.

"You think he will make it through the night?" she asked with that same soft voice.

Jesse looked at the door that dr. Ramirez had closed on his way out, his mind on many things, but one thought kept him standing upright now, only one thought that made him keeping his faith.

"Yeah, I think he will. Us Dukes don't give up. We fight… And what we just saw, is Luke tellin us that he don't wanna lose that leg, and that he's gonna fight for it now…"

Nodding slowly, Bo silently agreed with his uncle, as they made it to Luke's room, so they could continue their vigil by his side and give him the strength he needed to fight.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As his body was sinking deeper and deeper, slowly being sucked in by the soft soil, Luke Duke was glad.

No more fighting, no more pain, no more bone weary tiredness. Just peace.

His leg seemed to slip down faster and faster, until finally it felt like someone pulled it with all their might. And even in the tranquillity of peace, Luke moaned in pain. Why were they pulling so hard? Didn't they know he was already coming?

The more pulling, the more irritated Luke became. Slowly lifting his head, he looked around into nothing but white. One little beetle jumped of his head, into an all encompassing hole. The flutter of wings was the only sound that could be heard.

Now pulling back, to ease the pulling on his leg, Luke felt his stubborn streak take hold of him. Why wouldn't they let him come in his own time? Come to think of it, if it had to be like this, he wouldn't come at all.

With one bone crunching pull, Luke felt the clutches scrape down his thigh and his calf. The pain was like fire, but the freedom of movement was all worth it.

The bone numbing tiredness that followed, hit him like a ton of bricks. And slowly Luke let himself lie down again, careful not to let the ground suck him back in, but also not ready to get off of the warm soil beneath him.

Only the haunting noise of a crow screeching invaded the serenity of the moment…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the first rays of sunlight filtered through the window, it illuminated the sleeping people in the room. A blonde head, resting on the bed, his hands curled under his head, trying to get as comfortable as possible.

A brunette, curled up in a chair in the corner of the room overlooking the door and windows. And a grey haired head was resting on the only cot in the small room while a dark brown head was moving restlessly on its pillow.

The moan that filled the room caused all three heads to look up, one faster than the other.

Bo was the first to fully respond to what was happening around him. The sun coming through the small window showed him that it was morning, while the moan from the bed told him that his cousin was still with them.

Seeing the slightly rosy colour of Luke's face, he could only come to one conclusion…

"Uncle Jesse," he whispered, "I think the fever broke…"

Daisy's slender form unfolded from the chair she had been sitting in, as she slowly made her way over to the bed, letting her hand rest on Luke's forehead.

A small smile graced her lips as she looked at Jesse and Bo.

"I think we should get the doc…" Jesse whispered, his voice unnaturally loud in the silence of the room.

And as Jesse and Daisy left the room excitedly to get the doctor, Bo remained seated, almost dumbfounded by the events from the last minutes.

Looking at his cousin, his brother, he didn't know if he should laugh or cry at the pained look on Luke's face.

Even though he knew Luke was in pain, he was alive and in one piece. And for now, that was the most important thing in the world to him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The whiteness around him was calming. It made it easier to accept that he had lost his cousin to the claws of death, knowing that he would be able to join him soon enough.

Turning his head just the slightest inch, trying to bathe in even more light, Luke Duke noticed a shadow crossing before him.

Squinting with closed eyes, he tried to find that light again, but somehow, something was blocking it.

Opening his heavy eyes, ever so slowly, he quickly found out why he couldn't feel the light anymore.

And like a punch in the gut, Luke's fear and grief were back full force, as he looked straight into the beady eyes of the large black crow with the bloody beak…

"No…" came the slight moan, as the crow stepped closer to the paralyzed man.

Luke's deep blue eyes followed the movements of the beak as if in trance, until it came closer and closer.

The next moment he screamed out in unbelievingly excruciating pain when the crow moved as fast as lightning and pecked at his opened eyes with accurate precision.

Darkness fell over him, as the coolness of the dark swept over him, like a blanket being put over a dead man…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

In the bright hospital-room, all of a sudden, two deep blue eyes opened, looking straight up at the ceiling.

Bo almost jumped up, seeing his cousin awake, and he touched Luke's shoulder gently, only to get no reaction.

"Luke? Buddy? You with me?" he asked, his voice quivering with emotion as he finally saw a little life in his cousin.

But Luke's eyes kept staring at the ceiling, an emptiness there that Bo had never seen in his life.

"Luke?" he asked worriedly, softly shaking Luke's uninjured shoulder as a blind panic started to take over his mind and body.

Just as he wanted to shake his cousin back into the real world, the door opened and dr. Ramirez, followed by his uncle and Daisy came in, chattering happily.

Bo looked up with tears in his eyes as he spoke in a low, but clear tone.

"Something's wrong…"

**Friends an' neighbours, jus' when ya think things are lookin up, fate deals them Dukes another bad card… I don't know bout y'all, but I'm gettin my shot gun, so I can shoot that darn crow when it shows it's ugly head again… Y'all don't go to the fridge now, ya hear?**


	13. Some sorta window to your right

_**A/N A story? Writing? Me?  
I can tell y'all I had a severe case of amnesia, but that would be lying... I think you all know, that while writing the end of my stories, I usually have a severe case of writers block... This story proved to be no different... So, again: Sorry!  
This final chapter is dedicated to the memory of Heath Ledger, an actor I respected and admired for the daring roles he took and the way he performed them. May you rest in peace...**_

Before we go to the final chapter, I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing this story. It went from a one shot, to a full 13 chapter story, something I wasn't planning on. After this one, I will try to complete Bulletproof Dukes, before I leave for Curacao in two weeks. So let's cross our fingers and feed me lots of cookies so that darn writers block won't catch me this time! ;-)  
Enjoy!

13

"Lukas?"

"I told ya, he ain't respondin'," Bo muttered as the doctor was shining with a little pen light in Luke's eyes.

Jesse silently reprimanded his nephew by giving him a dismissive stare, but in the meantime, he was just as worried about this next development as Bo and Daisy were.

Looking at his eldest nephew, still staring at the ceiling with the most glassy and unseeing eyes Jesse had ever seen, Jesse didn't think things could start to look upward anytime soon…

Dr. Ramirez turned to them with an amazed look on his face, and even though his usual smile was missing, it didn't look like he had terrible news.

"Well?" Bo asked, getting poked in the side by Daisy, who was urging the doctor to go on with her begging blue eyes.

"Well," dr. Ramirez started, looking back at the bed where his patient was still laying motionlessly, staring upwards.

"It seems as though Luke has proved to us he's stronger than we thought. He woke up, and looking at the basic tests I've just performed, there is minimal sign of brain damage…"

"But why ain't he respondin' to us doc?" Jesse asked, beating Bo to the punch.

"I have no idea Jesse…" Dr. Ramirez answered earnestly, "His vitals are climbing, the fever is dropping and his leg is stable now. There is no reason for him not to respond to us…" he ended, looking a little frustrated by that little fact.

"So what do we do now?" Bo asked, sitting next to his cousin again.

"Well, seein' as the problem don't seem to be medical, all I can say is, let him know you are here. Let him know that it's okay to come back to you…" Dr. Ramirez ended before turning around and walking out the door. Before closing it, he turned around once more.

"I'll schedule some scans to make sure there really is no brain damage, I'll let ya know when I know more."

Giving the doc a little wave, Daisy Duke settled down once more, tiredness of the last couple of days filled her like a ton of bricks. Grasping Luke's hand, the only female Duke in the room started talking real soft. So soft that only she and the person she was talking to could have heard.

"You really somethin', ya know that sugar? First ya scare us all by not comin' home yesterday. And then ya prove ta be so brave… Lyin' there in the scorchin' sun all day, waitin' for someone… I would 've been so scared Luke… Heck, I am scared right now. I think even more then when ya was brought in. Cause yur gettin' better cuz. Doc says yur leg's healin' up and yur head should be fine… So after all of this, you almost leavin us, he says ya will get back, but now, you don't wanna?" A tear made its way down her blushing cheeks as Daisy held on more firmly.

"Well, I tell ya what, if you don't come back now, I'll have ta get my fryin pan sugar. And I know how ya hate my fryin pan…" A soft smile covered her features as she remembered all the times she had chased both Bo and Luke with that old thing.

When she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, she looked up from the little trance she was in, and looked up at her uncle with bright eyes.

"Why won't he look at us uncle Jesse?" she asked with a fierceness she didn't quite feel.

Looking at the blonde sitting across the room, also staring straight ahead, as if he mirrored his cousin's state, Jesse shook his head.

"I think it's somethin' he has to work through himself Daisygirl…"

Sitting down in the other vacant chair in the room, Jesse settled down too, preparing for his own little chat with Luke. Putting his hand on the young man's forehead, he scraped his throat before starting, just as soft as Daisy had, minutes before.

"That tractor needs fixin'… Needed it a long time ago… But there just wasn't any time for us to do that, huh?"

"Now Lukas… Ya know I never call ya that unless it's serious. But ya know what? It is… We need ya back here son. I need, Daisy needs, an' Bo needs ya. Maybe even more than me… Ya really scared the boy Luke… So why don't ya just git back here an' reassure us now," Jesse ended, rubbing Luke' free hand roughly.

Luke's eyes didn't even blink.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

White fog and shadows…

Bo Duke was sitting in the windowstill, staring outside as the fog swirled outside. The General Lee was a slight orange blurry fleck in the distance and the people that were out seemed to be ghosts moving slowly through the world.

After the heat from the past few days, a cooler bout of air had caused the strange weather to settle over Hazzard this morning.

A single crow flew by the window as Bo sighed deeply. He didn't know what to do.

In a lot of ways, Luke seemed to be alright. His leg was healing, the fever had broken and his skin started to look somewhat normal again. But his eyes…

It was like nobody was home. And seeing his vibrant cousin, who had more often spoken with his brilliant blue eyes instead of using his mouth, was just plain unnerving.

Turning his head towards his uncle, who was mumbling quietly to a still unresponsive Luke, Bo immediately turned his head the other way again to look out of the window.

It wasn't fair!

After all they had been through the past few years… Heck even the past few months had been hectic, with Boss scheming like always, a few times almost succeeding in putting the boys behind bars. But Luke had gotten them out of those situations again and again by using his head and figuring out a plan.

The black shape flying up to the window caused Bo to jump suddenly, and he stared wide eyed at the shape standing only inches away from him. The beady eyes seemed to be piercing through him, as the beasts beak pecked at the window repeatedly.

Looking over his shoulder to where the other people in the room should be, Bo was shocked to see nobody was there except for Luke.

Turning back towards the window, Bo found the crow still there, creepily staring at him with the mist swirling behind it.

"Bo…" it's opened beak seemed to say, if the sound hadn't come from somewhere behind Bo. If the sound wasn't so darn familiar.

"Luke?" Bo almost cried out as he swirled around to find his cousin sitting straight up in bed, with the same unseeing eyes now pointed straight in front of him staring at the crow who had miraculously transported itself inside and was now sitting on one of the vacant chairs in the room.

Bo's head went back and forth between the two, until Luke's eyes started blinking.

"Luke?" he asked again.

Luke's eyes darted through the room, a haziness filling them as they rested on Bo.

"Bo?" grief manifested itself in the bright blue eyes, "No… You's dead," the scratchy voice uttered, before sweeping back to the crow and getting that blank stare again.

The three words spoken were the most beautiful thing Bo had ever heard, hadn't it been for the meaning behind them.

Forgetting the crow for a moment, Bo rushed towards the bed, and grabbed Luke's hand tightly in his.

"I ain't dead Luke, I'm right here," he spoke firmly, swallowing the sob that caught in his throat, "I'm right here cuz!"

This seemed to help a little as Luke's hand curled itself around Bo's tightly as if he was trying desperately to hold on to something solid.

"Ya know he's not," a voice from the other end of the room screeched.

Bo didn't want to see where it came from, but curiousness to this bold person, made him turn his head towards the sound.

Looking over the crow, he couldn't see who could have spoken, but when the next words were uttered, Bo Duke knew where the voice had been coming from… And it was not from whom he expected.

"Ya saw his body Luke…" the crow scratched, it's beak moving with the words it created.

Bo blinked a few times, but the animal still remained seated, it's eyes boring into Luke's intensely.

Turning to the confused form of his cousin, Bo noticed Luke's struggle. The deep blue eyes were moving through the room, as if searching for the truth, and all Bo could think of was to hold his attention, so that darn crow wouldn't claim it again, whatever it was doing.

"Luke, he's lyin', and ya know it. I'm right here, just look at me cuz," Bo spoke firmly as he kept searching out Luke's eyes.

As Luke seemed to find Bo's voice, and his eyes almost found him, a flutter of wings dove onto them.

"Dead!" the crow shrieked as it pecked at Bo and Luke's intertwined hands repeatedly.

The sharp pain in his hand caused Bo to involuntarily pull it back, but the moment he noticed the blank look returning in Luke's eyes, he grabbed hold of Luke's hand even firmer than before, no matter how hard that strange animal pecked.

With his other hand, he struck hard, sending the crow flying against the opposite wall, where it landed with a thud.

"Bo?" Luke's soft voice called him, as Bo looked at their bloody hands, still strongly holding on to each other.

Looking up at the most beautiful sight he had seen in a long time, Bo sighed in relief as his cousin's confused but familiar blue eyes looked back at him.

"You with me cuz?" Bo asked suspiciously, looking back at where the form of the crow had been lying. It was gone now…

"You ain't dead?" Luke's scratchy voice asked, sounding like he was afraid of the answer he was about to get.

Bringing up their clasped hands between them, Bo swallowed hard as he softly took his cousin in a tight hug.

"I ain't dead cuz, I'm still here, I'll always be here…" he murmured through a constricted throat.

From next to him, he heard the whisper of his cousin.

"But I saw you die…"

"It wasn't real Luke, it wasn't real…" Bo ended, feeling Luke finally relax in his hug as all his strength seemed to be leaving him. Luke's soft whisper reassured him, he got his cousin back.

"It wasn't real…"

Closing his eyes tightly, Bo was rudely awakened by a loud noise, followed by a loud thud, which he discovered to be himself, falling from the windowstill he had probably fallen asleep in.

Looking up with wide eyes, he noticed Jesse and Daisy standing over him, checking to see if he was alright.

"Huh, what happened?" he asked as he let himself be helped up by his family members.

"You fell asleep son, an' ya just proved that sleepin' on a windowstill isn't the safest thing to do…" Jesse said with a small smile on his face.

When Bo shook his head, obviously upset, Jesse's smile disappeared.

"What's wrong Bo?" he asked as Bo rushed over to Luke's bed, where his eldest was still lying motionless.

"He was awake… I'm tellin ya uncle Jesse, he was awake…" Bo murmured while grasping Luke's hand in his.

"You was dreamin' sugar," Daisy said as she put one hand on Luke's other hand.

"But it was so real…" he spoke as he tried to rub some warmth in Luke's unresponsive hand.

Wait a minute… Was that?

Looking down at his hand, small scratched caught his eye, both on his own hand as on Luke's hand. But the most important thing was, that Luke's thumb was moving!

"Luke?" Bo spoke, causing both Jesse and Daisy to silently watch what was going on, "It's okay cuz, I'm still here. I told ya, I ain't goin nowhere…"

Ever so slowly, Luke blinked, moisture leaving his eyes as it dripped onto his pillow.

When he opened them again, Bo immediately noticed something different. It was like life had returned to the blue orbs…

"Luke?" Bo asked softly, not daring to believe what he was seeing now.

"Bo?" came the soft answer, causing Daisy to run out of the room to get the doctor, and Jesse to slowly wipe his eyes.

Two pairs of blue eyes met each other, and the understanding in them was all they needed in that moment.

"It wasn't real…" two voices murmured as one…

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_One week later_

"You ready to leave this joint cuz?" Bo asked with amusement when he entered the hospital room where his cousin was already sitting in the hospital acquired wheelchair with his bad leg elevated so that it was pointed straight forward.

The slight twinkle in Luke's eyes told Bo that his cousin was having a good day.

The past week Luke had been having good days and bad days. On a bad day, he would wake up in a sweat, images of failure and pain still in his mind.

He would close himself off from everyone on those days, except for Bo… Bo just sat with him, but his presence always seemed comforting, and Luke would often fall asleep, to wake up a little better.

They hadn't talked a lot about what had happened after Luke got to the hospital, only how Luke had hallucinated while he had been lying underneath the tractor. For both boys, it was enough. In the deep recesses of their minds, they knew what had happened, and they were happy to let it stay there…

"Let's git outta here cuz," Luke spoke, bringing Bo back to the present, "Let's go home…"

Pushing his cousin out the door, Jesse and Daisy met them, and together, the Duke family walked towards the exit.

"Hey Luke, wait until ya see our new tractor," Bo joked as they walked out of the place where Luke had been a resident for almost two weeks.

The thud that came next, and the muttered 'Ow' that came from Bo, showed Jesse that his family was alright again.

That is, until the next crisis would hit them.

But Jesse wasn't a man to worry about what was to come. So he put a hand on Luke's shoulder as they wheeled him towards the truck, leading them all home.

No one but Luke noticed the single crow sitting on the hospital sign, staring at them through beady eyes.

When a car roared past, it shook its head once, and flew off, clapping wings the only reminder that he had ever been there.

Bo's hand on his shoulder brought Luke back to the present, and the knowing look in his cousin's eyes told him that it was definitely over…

**Folks, that was one strange tale… I sure hope to never see that darn crow again, an' I bet ya them Dukes feel the same way! But, like always, things turned out awright, an' things in Hazzard are back the way they should be….**


End file.
